Author: TechBrunch

The $1 billion acquisition of rental management startup Divivi Homes announced Wednesday is expected to result in some shareholders losing out on dividends, according to people familiar with the deal. This condition, and Divvy's journey from buzzy startup to acquisition target, reflects the rollercoaster ride the proptech industry has endured over the past decade. Founded in 2016, the San Francisco-based startup has raised more than $700 million in debt and equity from prominent investors including Tiger Global Management, GGV Capital, and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). Ta. By 2021, the company was valued at $2.3 billion. And while Brookfield Properties' $1 billion…

Caffeine Capital, the San Francisco venture firm founded by private investor Raymond Tonsing, has raised $400 million in its fifth fund, according to a regulatory filing. The company was an early investor in software company Airtable and defense startup Saronic, and has already raised $160 million for the fund. If Caffeinated reaches its goal, it will be the biggest capital raise for the 15-year-old company. Although the organization has not announced its previous funds, Caffeinated is estimated to have closed four funds with total commitments of $209 million, according to PitchBook data. Tonsing was Caffeinated's sole general partner until four…

Chris Young, Microsoft's head of business development and ventures, resigned from his position on Wednesday, the company announced. Mr. Young headed Microsoft's M12 venture fund and was a so-called named director. Microsoft's other named executives include CFO Amy Hood, top lawyer and vice chairman Brad Smith, head of sales Judson Althoff, and CEO and chairman Satya Nadella. Because Young was a named executive, Microsoft had a legal obligation to publicly report on his compensation, responsibilities, and termination. Microsoft announced Young's resignation Wednesday in an SEC filing. When Microsoft filed its annual proxy report in October, Young was credited with increasing…

In 2015, blogging site Tumblr launched a GIF detection feature called Tumblr TV as an experimental product. With the short-form video app's fate uncertain after the TikTok ban in the U.S., Tumblr says it's finally time to offer Tumblr TV, which has evolved to support video, to all users as one of its standard features. I decided. The company announced Tuesday that the product is graduating from its home in an experimental project known as Tumblr Labs, and explained how the tab will be available to everyone. New users will see a tab in a fairly prominent third position within…

In 2015, blogging site Tumblr launched a GIF detection feature called Tumblr TV as an experimental product. With the short-form video app's fate uncertain after the TikTok ban in the U.S., Tumblr says it's finally time to offer Tumblr TV, which has evolved to support video, to all users as one of its standard features. I decided. The company announced Tuesday that the product is graduating from its home in an experimental project known as Tumblr Labs, and explained how the tab will be available to everyone. New users will see a tab in a fairly prominent third position within…

Scale AI is facing its third lawsuit in just over a month over alleged labor practices. In this case, the workers claim they suffered psychological trauma from viewing disturbing content without proper protection. Scale, valued at $13.8 billion last year, relies on workers classified as contractors for tasks such as evaluating the responses of AI models. Earlier this month, former workers filed suit alleging that they were effectively paid less than minimum wage and were misclassified as contractors. A complaint alleging similar issues was also filed in December 2024. The latest complaint, filed in the Northern District of California on…

Google searches for how to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads are on the rise following Meta's decision to eliminate its third-party fact-checking system and relax its content moderation policies. Those angry about the decision say Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has paid the price for making the company's social media platforms even more hotbeds of misinformation and polarizing speech. They are accusing him of paying his way to the Trump administration. Mr. Zuckerberg's statement that the company's third-party fact checkers were “too politically biased” for his vision of “free expression” probably didn't help matters. Since Mehta's announcement, many users have pointed…

After a tumultuous few years for companies operating in the real estate market, Davy Homes announced Wednesday that it will be acquired by a division of Brookfield Properties for approximately $1 billion. While this result is not a fire sale as previously described in other reports, it is lower than Divvy's last public valuation of $2.3 billion in 2021. The transaction is expected to close in mid-February. Divvy operated a model in which it worked with renters who wanted to become homeowners, buying the home of their choice and renting it for three years, during which time they would “save…

Cryptocurrencies are making a huge comeback, with AngelList and CoinList launching ways to help crypto-focused founders raise money using cryptocurrencies. The two companies are collaborating on the launch of the Crypto Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) and Crypto Roll-up Vehicle (RUV), the companies exclusively shared with TechCrunch on Wednesday. They said the partnership will give users a way to “raise funds from syndicates and manage investments in crypto startups in a crypto way.” A syndicate is a group of companies or individuals who work together to jointly manage large financial transactions. According to AngelList, users will now be able to fund…

At Samsung Unpacked 2025 on Wednesday, Google announced updates to Circle to Search to help users find information and do their jobs more easily. The feature was launched last year and allows users to search from anywhere on their phone using gestures like circling, highlighting, scribbling, and tapping. Google is now using Circle to Search to extend AI overview to more types of visual results, such as locations, trending images, and unique objects. Last year, the company released an AI summary for Circle to Search queries when the search includes both images and text. This latest update allows users to…